Echelon
by i-am-mindwalking
Summary: Root joins back forces with Shaw to fight their new enemies. Set a few weeks after the season 3 finale.
1. Chapter 1

Root's plan was very precise. She would replace someone from the IT-department at th

e insurance company Shaw currently worked at. They'd run into each other like co-workers and go from there. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing Samaritan would pick up. Just two people meeting at work.

But she was totally unprepared when she ran into Shaw at a coffee shop across the street while scouting the area. And she literally ran into her, coffee spilling over both their coats.

"I'm sorr-," the rest of Root's words chocked in her throat when she locked eyes with Shaw and the little coffee shop suddenly became even smaller.

Shaw, whose name was Sam Hall now, was the first to recover and slip back into her role.

"It's okay," Shaw mumbled, busying herself and avoiding eye contact. She walked to the counter and picking up paper napkins, handing a handful to the hacker who gladly took them, their hands briefly touching.

_Why hadn't the Machine warn me?_ Root wondered while Shaw was eyeing her curiously, waiting for her to say something other than an apology for the coffee spill. But Root didn't. She couldn't.

So Shaw shrugged and left the store. Outside in the cold morning, she paused for a moment, surprised at the sudden adrenalin rush.

It had been five weeks since the team had separated and she hadn't had contact with anyone since. She had started a job as an investigator at BT&W insurance and while it wasn't the most thrilling job, it kept her occupied.

Root had looked startled, like a deer caught in headlights even, Shaw mused while she crossed the road. She figured that this "meeting" wasn't planned.

Although she would never admit it, Shaw had missed the team. It was only after they were all gone that she realized how much she came to depend on them. She was lost without a purpose, the guidance of Harold and the Machines missions.

And Root, her inner voice nagged, but that was less about guidance, she missed the action the hacker brought along, among other things. But Shaw didn't dwell on that.

"Sam!" Brian, one of the assistants called out, waving at Shaw when she walked to the elevators on her way home a couple of days later. It was dark outside, most of the staff had already left the building but Shaw had been staying late, studying files to find a new lead on her case. Dropping off a file at the front desk, she crossed the empty floor.

"You've got news?"

"Yeah, they send someone new from tech department to help with that burnt laptop you recovered," Brian looked smug.

"And?" Shaw's face stayed expressionless even though she had recognized the second person in the office right away.

"This is Linda Ford. Linda, this is Sam Hall, our investigator." He introduced them, knowing little how well they knew each other.

"Nice to meet you, Sam!" Root smiled at her charmingly.

"Likewise." Their eyes locked for a moment and a hint of a smile played around Shaw's mouth. Brian probably couldn't tell, but Root caught it.

"So, what did you find?"

"We've been able to recover a couple of emails so far," Root aka Linda took lead and handed Shaw printouts. "It's not much, but the hard drive was pretty fried." Their fingers touched again and Root had a glint in her eyes, nothing like the other day when she had barely spoken. She was back in the game.

"I hope you're right, the boss is asking for us to close this quickly." Shaw held eyes contact for a moment and then turned to the assistant. "I'll follow up with this, give me a call when you find anything else."


	2. Chapter 2

"Anything new? I've got your text." Shaw walked into the tech office the next morning, coffee cup in one hand and balancing a bag of donuts on top of it.

"Except for a headache, you mean?" Root was alone, working simultaneously on a laptop and a desktop computer.

"You spend the night here?" Shaw untied her coat and closed the door behind her, eyeing Root questioningly. "Can we," Shaw trailed off, pointing with one finger in the air.

"Yes, we can talk," Root nodded tiredly, "we're co-workers now."

"And what are you doing here exactly?" Shaw put down her breakfast and tossed her coat on the empty chair.

"We're testing if Samaritan is picking up anything, on the two of us."

"And?" Shaw raised an eyebrow. "What's your A.I. friend telling you?"

"So far we're good. No sign of Decima agents," Root shrugged, "but She's keeping her eyes and ears open."

"That's good then, right? Have you talked to Harold?"

"Not yet," Root looked defeated. "She thinks it is a better idea to meet up with you first."

"Her idea, huh?" Shaw gazed at her. It was irritating when Root was not flirting.

"Our survival rates were better," Root shrugged, it wasn't even a lie.

"Right. Any new numbers yet?" Shaw could barely hide her desperation, but Root shook her head no.

"Ok, and this?" Shaw gestured to the hardware.

"Recovering and filtering data from that piece of garbage." Root caught a sniff of fresh coffee and her stomach grumbled. Shaw's eyebrow was still raised but she pushed her coffee cup further to the hacker, "You look like you need this more than I do."

"Thanks," Root was momentarily taken aback by the gesture.

"I found this, I guess you can wrap your case up now," Root handed Shaw several sheets of paper, proof for insurance fraud.

Root took a sip of coffee and sighed. She was so exhausted, she didn't even feel tired anymore. While she had found the evidence Shaw was looking for pretty quickly, she had spend the better part of the night following the Machines instructions and used the companies intranet to gather information for a plan that wasn't quite clear to her yet.

Shaw ate one of the donuts and left the other one for Root. "Have to talk to the boss now, she'll be very happy with this." she waved the sheets and left the office.

"Thanks," she leaned back in after a second, nodding at Root. "You sticking around?" Shaw asked hesitantly.

"Got officially transferred here." While the hacker despised most people and could barely tolerate working with them, Shaw was one of the few exceptions. She was smart, tough and very cute when she was mad. Though she wouldn't dare telling that to her face just yet.

"I'll see you around then."

"Absolutely." Root crossed her fingers, holding them up.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good job," Barbara, Shaw's boss complimented her after reading the file on her desk. "This saves us close to ten million dollars," she took off her glasses and put them on the table.

"How long have you been you working here now?" She inquired.

"Five weeks, ma'am." Shaw stood with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Impressive." Barbara mused, "This is the second closed case."

"Thank you." Shaw felt uneasy with the praise. It didn't do that much and was only been half listening because her thoughts were occupied right now. A dark haired hacker for one and the fact that she was sitting only a few floors below and there were no hostile agents storming the place yet.

Root had looked good, no bruises or visible bandages for once. Maybe they'd hunt down numbers soon again, Shaw grinned and then noticed her boss watching her.

"Do you have a new case for me yet?" Shaw asked before her boss could inquire anything else.

"Bank, suspected computer fraud." Barbara held out a folder, "Make sure to get help from the IT-guys, this is a priority."

"Will do." Shaw smiled pleased. Whatever it was, it would be a piece of cake with Root and the Machine helping out.

"This might be interesting," Root pointed at her screen and Shaw walked around the desk and put one hand on the back of Root's chair, the other resting on the smooth surface of the desk as she scanned through the content of several documents Root showed her.

"Now, I can definitely work with that," Shaw's lips curled up in a smile. The soft timbre of Shaw's voice so close to her good ear send a shiver down Root's spine.

"Can you give me an address?" She turned her head and was starring into dark brown eyes, watching her. It was a similar look like in the coffee shop, but it was gone in a second and Root nodded and clicked a few keys and Shaw's phone buzzed.

"And you're sure we'll find hard evidence there?" Shaw was in a hunting mode, her smile feral.

"Absolutely," Root loved that smile. "Need some backup?"

They weren't working Numbers just yet, but at least they were still taking down bad guys.


	4. Chapter 4

"You coming with us for drinks later?" Maggie, another assistant poked her head into Root's office, "It's a Friday night tradition." she added.

"Why not?" Root agreed and hoped that maybe Shaw would be there, too, if it was in fact a company tradition. Only that she couldn't picture Shaw mingling with co-workers and talking about office gossip and nonsense. But, she was willing to try and find out.

Unfortunately, Shaw didn't show up, and so Root stayed as long as it required to be polite, feeling more disappointed that she should have been. Just when she was ready to get up and leave, she spotted a dark head in the crowd walking towards their table and smiled. Biting her lip and busying herself with her empty cocktail glass she pretended she hadn't spotted Shaw yet.

"Ladies," Shaw joined them, slipped into a seat opposite Root. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to wrap something up," she nodded at Root.

"Don't you worry, Sam!" Marla from the fifth floor waved her hand, her bracelet jingling with at least a dozen charms.

It was very strange to observe Shaw interact at ease with all those people. The longer they sat and talked, Root detected the little signs that gave her away. That even though Shaw laughed and joked along, she was playing a role and wasn't actually enjoying herself. Root wondered why Shaw was there in the first place. It wasn't like her cover required her to spend spare time with those people.

When they stepped into the brisk nights air later that night, Root kept glancing at Shaw.

"What?" Shaw dropped her demeanor the second they stepped out of the bar.

"Nothing," Root fell into pace next to Shaw and they walked in silence.

"So, how does this work?" she inquired but Root slightly shook her head, signaled her this was not the place to talk.

"Got any plans for the weekend," the hacker asked casually instead.

"The usual," Shaw narrowed her eyes for a second and played along. "Some shopping, probably going to hit the gym and then grab some dinner. You?"

"I could use a good workout," Root winked at her and Shaw actually chuckled. She had missed this, though she would rather shot herself in the foot than admit it.

"Can you recommend a good gym?" Root inquired and bumped shoulders with Shaw.

"You actually work out?" Shaw raised an eyebrow.

"It's never to late to start, is it?"

"Right," Shaw grabbed Roots arm, "you could use some workout indeed!" She stated and pinched the biceps with thumb and forefinger firmly, "All skin and bone."

"Thanks, I've been a little busy," Root slapped her hand away and rubbed the spot Shaw had squeezed.

"Give me a call tomorrow, you can tag along and check the place out." Shaw shrugged.

"Excellent," Root leaned her head to the side, smiling. She slipped in just enough innuendo in her voice for Shaw to get what she was actually saying. It was a different kind of innuendo though. It would give them a good opportunity to establish a connection and get to talk.


	5. Chapter 5

The gym Shaw visited wasn't a fancy one, they didn't have security cameras and nobody was walking around with a cell phone glued to their hands. Just a dingy place to blow of steam and get a good workout.

Warming up, Root filled her in on everything she'd found out so far, about the other's covers and how they were doing until Shaw stepped their game up a notch and the hacker didn't have enough air to actually talk much. She was to focused on doing the exercises right.

"You do this every day?" Root was panting, sweat running down her face, her shorts and t-shirt soaked. She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She'd do maybe half of the routine Shaw did and was completely beat and could feel her muscles protest already.

Shaw dried of her face with a towel and grinned, taking great joy in bringing Root to her limits. She wasn't even fit enough to make snarky comments anymore.

Shaw left for the locker room satisfied. If she couldn't go out in the streets and fight terrorists, a good workout was the second best thing. And she was looking forward to a big fat steak as a reward. Bringing the hacker to a point where she was defeated was the cherry on top.

Maybe she'd go easy on Root the next time. Just maybe.

Then the old payphone in the hallway rang. The two woman exchanged a quick look and Shaw grabbed the receiver before Root could say something.

"Can I ask now?" Shaw tossed her gym bag in the trunk. "How are we supposed to, you know, number and all?"

"Not here," Root scold her and had trouble lifting her arms far enough to her own bag.

"Where to then?" Shaw smirked, hurling the bag in for her.

"My place."

"Your place it is," Shaw had been waiting every single day since they went into hiding for this. The Machine had given them a new number, so they were back in business, right?


	6. Chapter 6

"Nice," Shaw inspected the whole apartment with trained eyes, opening every door and closet.

"Yeah, feel right at home," Root didn't mind, she had rented the place furnished and most of the stuff wasn't even hers.

"Is it safe here?" Shaw opened the fridge, surprised to find actual food in there. Fresh fruits and vegetables even. "You cook?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, to both." Root walked up next to Shaw and took out two bottles of water, handing Shaw one and closed the fridge again. "She's creating something like a white noise in here, we're free to talk."

"Great, let's get to work then!"

"Who's pushy now?" the hacker sat at the dinning table and opened her laptop.

Shaw flopped down in the chair opposite to her and looked up from under her bangs. "Give me a name, anything, just let me get to do something."

"There will be, soon, but right now we should be happy Samaritan hasn't picked up on us yet." Root typed on her keyboard and then looked over.

"Why can't we catch up with Harold and John yet? Samaritan doesn't seem to connect the dots with the two of us, so," Shaw was getting more edgy with each passing day. And her trigger finger was itching.

"Patience," Root nagged, "And this is Her talking, not me," she injected quickly when Shaw was ready to throw a pen at her. Knowing her skills, she could probably do some real damage with the office supply.

She spend the next hour assembling intel and trying to find an angle.

"Evening attire." Root grinned. "Or would you rather go as one of the catering staff?" Root raised an eyebrow. "Besides, Harold's going to be there." That caught Shaw's interest and she got up from the couch and starred at the computer screen.

"Where?"

"Astoria Hotel, 9 pm tonight."

"How? Did they get the same number?"

"I don't know, but his alias is on the guest list."

"What about John?"

"All I know is that we'll meet our suspect there," Root leaned back in her chair, mimicking Shaw's posture. "You're not getting more information out of me if you tortured me. But don't let that stop you." And there was the innuendo again.

Shaw sighed, she had to go home and get change.

"I knew I'd find you here," Root walked up to Shaw at the buffet, nodding appreciatively at Shaw's dress.

"How's the food?" Root leaned slightly over Shaw's shoulder, whispering in her ear. "You look stunning."

She had been watching the ex-agent for a while before she approached her, appreciating the way the short black dress hugged every curve and how graceful Shaw looked, engrossed in the delicacies in front of her. Her hair was tied up and her dress showed off just enough shoulder and neck to still look classy.

"It's pretty good," Shaw turned around, watching Root up and down in her sky blue evening dress. "You clean up nicely," Shaw stated casually before she turned back to the buffet.

"Was that a compliment?" Root didn't believe she heard right, maybe her implant was acting up.

"Yeah, I can be charming." Shaw said between bites.

"I can see that," Root took a canapé from Shaw's plate, nibbling at it deliberately.

"Don't get used to it though. Here's our number." Shaw glanced past Root to the guy they'd been targeting making an entrance with his entourage and the two women split up again to mingle and gather intel.

"Here you are," Root slipped up next to Shaw, apologizing to the people she talked to and dragged her away smiling brightly. "Just play along," Root whispered and they crossed the main hall and left for the hallway.

"Harold just arrived and the Machine warned me that out survival rate suddenly dropped drastically."

"But how? Why?" Shaw didn't quite get what Root was saying. How did Harold trigger something just by showing up at a business party?

They hurried further away from the main party until they reached a side entrance and ducked out to the parking garage.

"I hear you," Root mumbled and signaled for Shaw to follow her out into the streets.

"Damn, what the hell was that all about?" Shaw inquired but Root only shrugged. Her strides were longer than Shaw who had to make two steps to keep up. "And what about Harold, is he safe?"

"Yes, but it's obviously not safe to regroup with the whole gang just yet."

"No kidding. Define drastically? Single digit?"

"I've had less," Root shrugged again, thinking back at the time she was about to infiltrate Decima and that her chances were 2 percent at that time. Until Shaw had decided it was a good idea to bicycle through the blackout and save her sorry butt.

"So we can basically do what we want, but we can't get in touch with Harold." Shaw summed it up.

"I guess so." Root agreed. She slowed down some when the Machine gave her new directions and fell into step with Shaw, pointing they way they were supposed to take. "I hear you, thanks." she added in her talk to the machine voice.

"And I was so ready for action!" Shaw looked genuinely pissed, the muscles in her arm rippling when she clenched her fists.

"You're so cute," Shaw thought Root was talking to the Machine again, she had that tone in her voice. "I wasn't talking to Her." The hacker elaborated and Shaw slowed down, looking at her funny.

"Say that again and I'll kneecap you. So, what about our number?"

"I've managed to pair his phone," Root offered. "Let's see where that gets us." The hacker scrolled through the information off the phone.

"Where to now?"

"Apparently, Mr. Russel has a storage building in Queens and the Machine just flagged a shipment that's coming in tonight."

"Then we should go check it out."


	7. Chapter 7

Shaw was taking pictures of the warehouse and the perimeter while Root sat in the passenger seat, observing security camera footage on a laptop. It was almost three in the morning and there was still lots of traffic in and around the warehouse.

"Got any idea what's going on in there?" Shaw inquired.

"Not yet."

"So, what do we do? Should we get inside?"

Root listened for a second to the Machine and shook her head no then.

"How are we supposed to find out anything by sitting here?" Shaw put the camera on the dashboard. She had counted six armed guards so far and over a dozen dock workers. Building plan showed three entrances and one emergency exit. Officially, the number stored products there, electronic equipment. She could do this.

"Could this get any more boring?" Shaw scooted on her seat, her butt was falling asleep. "Why do we have to sit here together. I could have done this alone just fine." She was getting hungry and therefore even more grumpy.

"And I thought you likes spending time with me?" Root smiled charmingly.

"What do you even want from me?" Shaw didn't mean the mission.

"What are you offering?" Root turned away from the screen and looked at her intently.

"Seriously?" Shaw locked eyes with the hacker.

"Seriously, what do you have to offer?" There was no innuendo her voice this time.

"Nothing."

"I don't believe that." One of the trucks blew a horn and the moment was broken, Shaw looked away.

"Even if I wanted to, which I don't, there is nothing I could offer. Not you or anyone." Shaw added, like she felt the need to explain.

"You can't know that," Root whispered, looking out the window into the darkness.

"Oh, I do. Been there, done that. Not working and definitely not worth the hassle."

Silence.

Root paused and carefully choose her next words, "I really love to watch you work, Sameen, I can't help it. And you can't really blame me for trying, can you? You know damn well you're smoking hot."

More silence.

"And no, I will not drop it, even though She's telling me to." Root was getting a little pissed at how unresponsive Shaw was. "Why don't you just tell me to fuck off then?"

"I did, numerous times."

"No, you haven't. Because," she paused and waited for Shaw to turn back to her, "You actually like the attention." Root stated.

"It doesn't matter, I don't to this kind of shit." Why wasn't anyone shooting at them? Where are the bad guys when you need them.

"You're pretty full of yourself, you know that? I've been trying to get in your pants, not get you to sign a pre-nup."

At this, Shaw actually chuckled. "You don't know what you're asking for, Root."

"You think I can't handle you?" Now, Root felt actually challenged.

"I only do angry," Shaw shook her head, "And you like pouring gasoline in that fire. Even I know that that's not healthy. I have no problem beating up perps, but I don't do that to,"

"To whom?" Root questioned.

"Fuck you!" Shaw narrowed her eyes, "Why are you smiling?""

"Because you actually do care."


	8. Chapter 8

"This was the last shipment coming in." Root watched the inventory list online. The dock workers were leaving, only the guards staying behind.

"I'm going in." Shaw had enough of waiting and certainly enough of talking. She got out of the car and walked to the trunk, opening her duffel bag.

When she pulled a t-shirt over her head, she heard the passengers door open and sighed. Was it a good or a bad sign Root had given her some privacy to change? Shaw caught Root checking her out yet again but choose to ignore her, pulling her hair into a ponytail and putting on a dark hoodie.

"Wear this," Root tossed some wires at her which turned out to be a spy cam. "Or do you need help?"

Shaw closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and secured the cable and transmitter to her new outfit.

Root was waiting in the car, disabling the alarm system while Shaw snuck up on the first security guards. Watching on her screen how Shaw crept up on them one by one and took them out without firing a single shot was exhilarating and made her almost forget how made she still felt about their previous argument. How could Shaw be so thick and why didn't she give Root a little credit? On the upside, she still hadn't told her that she wasn't interested at all.

"You getting this?" Shaw whispered in her earpiece. The image on the screen showed large wooden boxes and Shaw stepped closer to read the way bills.

"Yes, and I found something." Root announced after she checked the companies inventory management.

"I figured." Shaw had opened one of the boxes labeled as consumer electronics, starring at ammunition.

She could hear Root typing on the computer and waited.

"Go to the box marked L431, open it carefully," Root directed her.

"How careful? Is it going to blow up or something?" Shaw took out her knife again.

"It might," Root stayed vague. "There should be four detonators inside. Take them with you, leave the rest."

"OK, got it. Now what?"

"Get out of there, we have what we need."

"Feeling better?" Root smiled knowingly when Shaw hopped on the drivers seat. "It looked like you had some fun."

Shaw tried her best to look grumpy when she was in fact pretty happy. "Just tell me what you found."

"Turns out, Mister Russel is selling army equipment, weaponry stolen last month at Fort Patrick. Cops are on the way to clean up."

"And what about these?" Shaw took out the box with detonators from under her hoodie and leaned over the center console to lay them on the backseat. "Can I keep them?" She was so close, Root could feel the body heat radiating from her.

"If you ask nicely." Root was reminded of the last time they'd sat like this.

"What if I just take them?" Shaw had had a knife to her throat back then.

"I supposed the result would be the same, but it would be less polite." Root tilted her head and looked down in her lap, breaking eye contact. Shaw was always appealing to Root, but when she was high on adrenalin, she was especially intense.

Shaw wasn't an idiot, she knew what was going on and she had a real hard time resisting.

When Root looked back up at her again, she followed her instinct and leaned over all the way, pressing their lips together, capturing the bottom lip and tugging gently.

Before things could get out of hand, sirens could be heard which meant the police was on it's way and they had to get out of there.

"This doesn't change anything." Shaw sat back in her seat and started the engine.

"I would be disappointed if it did."

"Mind if we stop for breakfast?"


	9. Chapter 9

"What the fuck was that supposed to be?" Shaw dropped the last assailant and shouted at Root, who was holding her bruised hand.

Shaw grabbed Root by the arm and dragged her out the back entrance when yet again police sirens were closing in. "How the hell did you manage to stay alive so far? You're helpless without a weapon."

Their little stop for breakfast was interrupted when two knuckleheads started a fight and chaos broke out.

Root didn't reply right away, her head was spinning and her wrist and fingers were killing her.

"This dump was your idea. I would have never stepped foot in here."

"This is the only place still open at this hour which serves a decent breakfast."

"Right," Root mumbled.

"You'll be lucky if this isn't broken," Shaw examined her wrist and hand. "You never ever hit someone in the face with your fist. While it looks good on TV, you don't want to break your hand!"

"Well, thanks for the intel," Root slapped Shaw's hand away from her jaw with her good hand. "Next time I'll just let them hit you over the head with a bottle." She'd also caught a swing at her jaw, a bruise was already forming.

Shaw grabbed her hand and stared her down, event though she was inches shorter. "You need ice for that."

Root sported big sunglasses when she entered the office building a few hours later. She had covered up the bruise on her chin with make up, but there was only so little make-up could do to hide the circles under her eyes.

Shaw didn't look much better, sans the bruises. She was nursing a coffee and pretended to read a file when Brian called her up to remind her of a staff meeting.

It was boring as hell; praises here, numbers there, new assignments and other irrelevant stuff and Shaw could barely stay focused. There were close to fifty people in the conference room, only the senior staff members were seated, everyone else was standing.

"You look like shit," Shaw grinned at Root when she snuck up behind her.

"Why thanks, you don't look like sunshine either," Root whispered back, earning a few snotty looks from other staff members who pretended to be listening, which she deliberately ignored.

Half an hour later, the meeting was over and people left for their offices or the break room.

Shaw had a new assignment and so did Root, neither of them happy with them. It would require some actual work and nobody knew when the next number would be coming in.

"Meet me at 8 at the gym." Root read the text message she got received later that day. She could barely type with her injured hand, let alone hold a barbell. But knowing Shaw, she'd probably take that into consideration.

Right on time, Root entered the sports place that night and was greeted by the stench of sweat and iron. The place was packed, every station was taken and groups of athletes were everywhere. She had seen Shaw's car but couldn't spot her. Rudy, the owner, pointed at the back room when he noticed her.

The door was closed and Root was a little suspicious. Stepping inside, Shaw was emptying a huge bag on the floor, books, umbrella, scarf, pencils and other objects of daily use tumbling to the floor.

"Did you clean out your trunk?" Root dropped her gym bag.

"If we go out on missions again, I need to know that you can take care of yourself. Especially now that we can't carry everywhere."

"I can do just fine," Root felt a bit offended.

"The Machine can't always be there and a gun and a Taser only get your so far." Shaw didn't care if she stepped on any toes, she'd rather slap some sense into Root now than see her get killed.

Hesitating for a second, it hit Shaw how much truth was in that thought. She really didn't want to see Root get hurt. And she was going to do something about it.

"And what about all that?" Root pointed to the floor.

"Those are weapons. Know them, use them." Shaw avoided eye contact until she had her thoughts back in order. Shaw very rarely cared for other people and every time she added someone to the list was kind of special.

Gen telling her to listen, even when the volume was turned way down, came to her mind.

"Should I go get changed?" Root eyed Shaw's street clothes.

"No, we use what we have, that includes regular clothes." Shaw looked the hacker up and down, noticing how the black stretch jeans made her legs look even longer and she was always fond of that sleek leather jacket.

The door opened and Rudy entered, dressed in a old and beat up body suit. Root had noticed his marine tattoo before, the same Shaw sported, and knew those guys would stick together through thick and thin, so it was no wonder Shaw could pull this little training session off so quickly.

"I asked Rudy to help us out a bit." Shaw picked up a book. "Someone tries to come at you, use this as a shield. Book, tablet, anything." The two soldiers went at it right away. Rudy tried to attack Shaw with a plastic knife and Shaw blocked with the book and then jammed it into the protective cushion around his neck. Without it, his throat would be crushed and he wouldn't be able to fight back.

The demonstration lasted for almost two hours, Shaw deliberately picked exercises Root could perform with only one hand and made sure they repeated everything as long as it took for Root to really pick it up. Even if it meant a dozen repetitions.

Shaw was a great teacher and Rudy was a great sport. They were both very patient and for a change Root was focused on the task at hand instead of pushing Shaw's buttons. Because she didn't have to.

Shaw's hands were all over her, holding her hips when she showed her how to put more force into a kick or on her shoulders and back when she punched.

Getting shown how to ward of someone pinning you to the floor was Root's favorite. It had been pretty nifty watching Shaw demonstrating the actions with Rudy, see how such a small person could seemingly easily fight off such a big guy. But having Shaw sit on her, Root couldn't help but grin.

It was really hard concentrating, her mind tried wandering off somewhere else entirely, showing her pictures of the woman sitting in top of her with a lot less clothes and not necessarily less sweaty.


	10. Chapter 10

Root felt proud that Shaw had taken it upon herself to teach her. The missions were a valid point, but she didn't have to invest her own time and sweat. But Shaw and Rudy looked like they were actually enjoying beating each other up. And knowing Shaw, she did.

"These were just basics, things that keep you alive." Shaw's clothes were soaked in sweat and she pulled her pullover off and Root openly gaped.

"What?" Root defended herself, "he's looking, too!" she pointed at Rudy who chuckled.

"Leave me out of this," he held up his big hands.

"From now on, you'll show up here every free minute you've got!" Shaw was being pretty bossy and Root liked it. "Rudy will see that you've got someone to spar with."

"Aren't you going to be here?" Root was a little disappointed when she realized she wouldn't be practicing with Shaw.

"Got to earn your stripes first."

"But I'm so much more motivated when you're on top."

"I'm out of here," Rudy trotted away laughing now.

"Thanks, Rudy!" Shaw shouted after him. "I owe you one."

"And what do I owe you?" Root asked when she held the door open for Shaw and they walked to the parking garage.

"Just learn something and stay alive." Shaw played it cool.

"Surely there's something I could do to pay you pack for your troubles." Root put enough innuendo in her voice to make it sound pretty dirty.

"You said you cook. Are you any good?" Shaw knew it that Root wouldn't let it go anyway.

"I supposed so," Root shrugged.

"It's been a while since I had something home cooked."

"Dinner it is then." Root beamed. Who would have thought grumpy bear would ever invite herself. "Tomorrow after practice?"

"Deal." Shaw started to regret her decision as soon as she locked eyes with the hacker who had anything but dinner on her mind.


	11. Chapter 11

While dinner was simmering on the stove, Root took a quick shower and was just ready when the doorbell rang. Checking her hair in the mirror and adjusting her shirt, which was falling down one side of her shoulder, Root closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I heard you!" she whispered unnerved at the Machine, and then opened the door.

"Come on in," Root smiled brightly, pleasantly surprised that Shaw had taken the time to change into something nice, black pants and a lovely lilac blouse. Root tried to remember when she had seen the ex-agent in anything but black if it hadn't been for a job.

"Thanks," Shaw pursed her lips and threw a bottle of wine for Root to catch. The hacker noticed there was something different about Shaw, and it wasn't the fact that she wore her hair loose, her posture was relaxed.

Root led them into the kitchen and set the wine on the counter, Shaw's eyes had scanned the whole apartment, probably a habit she couldn't shake. "Smells good, what is it?" Shaw let her gaze linger on her hostess.

"Stew, old recipe from my grandma. The corkscrew is in that cupboard." Root pointed to her right and set two glasses on the counter.

Shaw filled both glasses and picked up at the lightly off vibe the hacker was giving her. Handing her a glass, Shaw noticed how Root didn't hold eye contact and wondered what was up with that. She usually never let a chance pass to either stare, wink or leer.

"So, what's the Machine's take on this?" Shaw took a wild guess what it was about and gestured between them.

"She warned me." That was only the half truth, the Machine had pretty much told her not to pursue Shaw any further. Of course she didn't give any explanation, but the Machine had been pretty clear.

"About me?" Shaw narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of a smile in the corner of her lips. When she left the gym shortly after Root, she had gone home to get cleaned up. She hadn't planned on anything fancy and the hair had been a spur of the moment thing. Shaw wasn't even aware how much effort she had put into not looking like she was on a job.

Root didn't reply, stirring the content of the pot with a wooden spoon instead. The smell always brought back memories of the few happy summers she got to spend with her grandparents as a kid.

"Need help with anything?" Shaw leaned on the kitchen island casually, sipping on her wine but never letting Root out of her sight. She felt encouraged to test how far Root's trust in the Machine went. And who was the Machine warning from? Was Shaw a danger for Root or was it the other way around?

"Not really," Root noticed how Shaw was biting her lower lip, a gesture that send a wave of heat through her body. "Appetizer?" she took a plate with canapés from the fridge and Shaw raised an eyebrow.

"I should have invited myself sooner," Shaw licked her lips and stepped closer to pick one up.

"Yeah, you really should have." Root silently cursed her boss.

"The drugging kind of put a damper on that."

"You're still holding that against me? I thought you understood." Root didn't touch the food, she rather watched Shaw.

"I don't hold grudges, but I don't forget either." Shaw pointed her finger. "So, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Root shrugged.

"Right," Shaw took another step closer, holding her gaze and then dropping it to Root's lips and back up again.

"What about your Not gonna happen speech from the other day? You look like I'm for dinner." Root flustered under the intense stare and tried to play it cool, taking a sip of wine.

"I don't know," Shaw put her glass down and stepped into Root's personal space, taking the wine glass from her and setting it aside. "I guess I'm in a good mood."

"You just like to rattle my chain." Root put both hands on Shaw's shoulders and then pushed her away smoothly.

"Maybe," Shaw was having entirely too much fun for her own good, her demur dulled by more basic instincts. _Maybe I'm just horny_, Shaw mused, taking another sip of wine. She really like that colorful shirt the hacker was wearing and how it revealed a little skin around the shoulders. Shaw licked her lips absently.

"You didn't think I was that easy?" Root started setting the table. "You bat your long lashes and I swoon?" she called over her shoulder.

Shaw bit her tongue and grinned, teeth showing. "I guess not."

"Will you tell me what's going on or do I have to take out the knife first?" Shaw inquired when they cleaned up the table.

Dinner had been delicious, Shaw was surprised at how good of a cook the hacker was. But even she could feel that something was off. If not, they'd probably be in the other room by now, having another kind of dessert.

"The Machine told me to keep my hands to myself tonight." Root wondered if Shaw indeed was carrying a knife and if so, where.

"Is the Machine usually giving you advice on your sex life?" Shaw chuckled amused.

"Not necessarily." Root stepped away from the counter and Shaw used the opportunity to move into her space again, stopping the taller woman by placing a firm hand on her side and keep her from stalling.

"Did the Machine say anything about my hands?" At that, Root let out a belly laugh, one that made her whole body vibrate. Shaw could feel it and brought up her left hand when the taller woman didn't move away. She brushed a thick strand of auburn hair behind Root's ear and traced her thumb along the Stapedectomy scar and further down the neck until her hand came to rest on her shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

"While this was fun, are you sure the machine requested my presence here?" Shaw inquired, watching from afar as the police picked up the perps they had taped to the steering wheel of their car, the trunk full of C4.

Things had distinctly cooled down after that significant order from the machine. An command Root had, of course, complied with.

But not without protest, Shaw bit back a grin. She remembered the goose bumps she raised on the hackers skin and how long it taken until Root had pushed her away. She bit her lower lip, remembering the touch.

"She might have send just me," Root admitted freely. "But wasn't it a nice coincident that BT&W hosts an advanced training seminar in town and we were chosen to go?"

"Yeah, it was so much fun," her voice was filled with irony. "With the real mission over, how long are we staying. You don't actually plan to attend the rest of the seminar, do you?" There was slight panic in Shaw's eyes. There was only so much motivational speech she could take without breaking a neck.

"I have an idea." An hour later, they parked in front of Shaw's favorite steak joint.

"Let me buy you dinner." Root offered innocently, holding the door open for Shaw who chuckled.

It started to become a habit letting the hacker bribe her with food.

"This doesn't make up for the other night, you know?" Shaw pointed her steak knife at Root after their orders arrived.

"I thought you said the filet was better than," Root started but Shaw cut in. "Shut up."

Root knew she should get her rapidly beating heart to slow down, she shouldn't get so excited by Shaw standing so close to her in the elevator to their hotel rooms.

"You okay?" Shaw asked and followed Root into her room and smirked. Turnaround was so much fun! All Root could do was nod. The Machine hadn't contacted her after the mission was over. So they were free to do whatever they liked, weren't they?

And when Shaw sat on the bed beside her, it was pretty damn clear what she had in mind.

"So, where did we left off last time?" She scooted closer and almost sat in Root's lap. "Or is you master still keeping you on a short leash?" Shaw knew she was cruel, but how many times had she been on the receiving end of this?

Root listened to only silence on her ear and shook her head no. And then she forget to think about the Machine all at once and closed her eyes as they both leaned towards each other. Their lips gently caressed at first and then parted again. Shaw was still gazing at her, probably waiting for a slap, taser or something. Her eyes were dark and her face only showed a fair hint of emotions. If Root didn't know her that well, she'd probably think she'd wouldn't be into it at all. But she knew better and it made it even worse.

That was the last thought her brain processed before she moved even closer again.

Their kisses grew deeper and more hungry as they explored each other's mouth. There was a feuding for dominance, but it was a lot tamer than Root would have imagine. There was more of a longing to discover each and Root gave up fairly easily.

A small groan escaped her lips as Shaw sucked at the pulse point in the hollow of her neck and she began to gently bite her as her fingers trailed down towards her breasts. Root felt her breathing increase as her desire to reciprocate almost overwhelmed her.

She tried to turn her over, but Shaw was a lot stronger than the hacker who found herself being ravished, the grin on Shaw's face sincere but wicked.

Root didn't quite remember how Shaw removed her top and bra, all she became aware of was hot lips teasing her nipple and groaned and then growled loudly when Shaw bit down.

This seemed to be all the encouragement Shaw needed, as her hand slid down Root's body to her pants, slowly pulling them down, complete with underwear.

Laying there completely naked, Root still felt like being at the safest place on earth but in urgent need of attention. Her face was flushed and her pupils were dilated as she looked at Shaw, who just looked about the same.

"You are really hot." The smaller woman said as continued to kiss soft breast, whilst her hand made its way down the lean body to the area in most need. Root raised her hips in response to the caresses, desperate to convey the urgency of her need.

"Please!" she begged, but Shaw just smiled, and took her sweet time.

Torturously slowly, her hand continued its exploration of the body underneath her, until she began to gently massage the inner thighs and an audible gasp escaped Root's lips. Her center was throbbing wildly with need and she became delirious with arousal as a tongue began to follow the same path the hands had previously travelled, stopping this time, to dip into my navel. That caused a massive jolt to her groin and she placed a hand on Shaw's head, gently coaxing her towards the area she needed her most.

"Please!" Root had never been one to beg before and she felt Shaw grin against her before she ran her tongue the full length of the labia and Root gasped for air. She thrust upwards, but was held firmly in place by two strong hands on her hips.

Finally, Shaw raised both her legs up and draped them over her shoulders. She'd never been a great giver, never had the patience but then and there, she couldn't think of anything she'd rather like to do and she took full advantage of the new accessibility.

She looked up with a ravenous hunger in her eyes, and then dipped her head. When her tongue finally touched the clit for the first time, it was like an electric shock, and Root's body jolted. "Pleease! Pleeeease!"

That was all the encouragement Shaw needed as he tongue entered insistently, Root was groaning continuously by now. Her tongue entered with increasing pressure, but soon, she needed more.

Shaw sensed that need, and began to enter, first with one finger, then two, whilst caressing her clit at the same time with her tongue, and Root had reached the apex of her passion, and heard herself groan loudly as she experienced an orgasm so powerful that its violence shook her.

Shaw stayed inside throughout the aftershocks, and then began to arouse her again. Her tongue and mouth alternately licking, nipping and gently biting her clit, while her hand began to move again. The second orgasm was so intense that Root's momentarily blacked out.

Still Shaw held onto her to help prolong the exquisite delight for as long as possible. Finally, when Root was sated, she crawled back up her body and kissed her again. Root could taste herself on her lips, and found herself becoming aroused again. Shaw's hands began to move again but Root caught it. She kissed the fingertips and started to let her own hand wander but Shaw stopped her, gently but firm. "Not yet."

She pulled the taller woman into her arms, letting her head rest in the crook of her neck and held her while they drifted off to sleep.

Root sat up straight in the hotel bed, the covers sliding down her naked body. Her eyes were wide open, she couldn't even blink.

Disturbed by the shift on the mattress and tug on the sheets, Shaw woke, blinking and trying to see something in the semi dark.

She didn't have to actually see the hackers face to know something was very wrong.

"Root?"

"She's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"The Machine, Samaritan is onto her and she's cutting off all communication until further notice."

+++ End +++


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